The unexpected shift to a day earlier for delivery put me into action as I hopped in the shower to be sure I looked my best for the birth. Marty awoke to the hair dryer going and showed up at the bathroom door with a big question mark over his head. He looked so sad when I told him I was in labor on this early Sunday morning. He was in the Air Force at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha and was looking forward to the next day to be going to the hospital, not Sunday. He turned with a sigh and half awake dressed and got Marty III up to go to the woman who would keep him while I was in surgery.
To this point, the pre-birth experience was just like any other. What makes it unique is the base hospital had been closed for months for a massive remodel and addition and was due to "open" the next day. My "due date". There was a skeleton crew of three on duty this early Sunday morning, but that was all. As we drove into the empty parking lot and walked the silent, echoing halls of admission, we wondered if there was somewhere else we should have gone. We had to actually find someone to check us in. A nurse took me in for evaluation and determined I was indeed in labor and began the process of calling in the troops. (So to speak.)
About 45 minutes later, an OB doctor arrived (not my doctor) and told Marty to help him push my gurney down to surgery. The doctor and Marty laughed about the hospital being a ghost town but pushed away until they had me outside OR. At this point, he told Marty where to "scrub" and ushered him away leaving me in the hall alone. It seemed like an hour, but finally Marty came back covered in green with a look of fear on his face. We both thought he was going to have to "assist", but one by one, nurses, the pediatric doctor and finally the anaesthesiologist arrived and Marty was shown to a spot a few feet away to observe.
A short time later, the surgery produced a fat little guy who proceeded to pee on the attending doctor which had the entire room laughing. Matthew Brock Moseley weighed in at 8 lb. 2 oz. and was 20 inches long.
He has been a joy to us throughout the 30 years. He and his brother made our family a solid pack that we never thought could be improved upon. And then God showed us there were so many more gifts to grant our family and brought us our girls, Anna and Becky, and now all the babies Marty IV, Malea and Lucas. Yes, thirty years ago is a time to remember a birth, but today is a day to celebrate the present. Happy birthday, Matthew! I love you and I love our family.
4 comments:
Mimi!
What a great re-telling of Matt's birth!
You captured my terror at being asked to scrub up, and then putting on the surgery outfit!
I totally thought I was gonna assist!!!
AAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
Beautiful story, Mimi! What a joy to celebrate birth, family, blessings and love! Happy New Year as you work towards the next 30+ years! God is good! Cindy
Such a sweet remembrance, Mimi! I so enjoyed reading this and it brought back memories of my own children coming into the world and the recent birth of Virginia Rose. May God continue to bless you and your family in the new year!
O Mimi! You had the "joy" of experiencing one of those totally out-of-the-ordinary Air Force birthings too. I had no idea we had that in common. I'll have to tell you my story sometime. Only it was a first baby for me and it was 52 years ago. God has such a sense of humor in these things. They give us a reminder of His presence and keep us trusting Him with all the unexpectednesses of life.
Happy Mama Day every time you think about it again.
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